It’s That Time Again

I believe good relationships are made up of hundreds of small things rather than one significant moment

Acts 25:13-27

Reference: Since they were spending many days there, Festus discussed Paul’s case with the king. He said: “There is a man here whom Felix left as a prisoner. (Acts 25:14 NIV)

Explore: I think “quantity” has been given a raw deal. You probably know the saying “It is quality rather than quantity that counts.” I think this is important to consider when you look at purchasing food, clothing or an important appliance. However, when it comes to the time you spend with people, I think quantity needs to be reconsidered.

My husband will often work at nights at the start of the week. If you throw in my early morning starts, there have been weeks where I have said good night to him on Sunday night and not spoken to him face-to-face again until Wednesday evening. If there is something significant I need to share with him we will always make a phone call, text message or even email. However, it’s all the little incidental things that I forget to communicate.

It might be something small like a conversation I had with our boy’s teacher, or a comment made to me by a colleague, or something I read in the paper. When we finally see each other we will catch up on the significant information, but often these smaller details are forgotten or shared with someone else.

I believe good relationships are made up of hundreds of small things rather than one significant moment. And so, if we’re not spending a quantity of time with someone, then these smaller experiences are often lost.

Application: When Festus was trying to decide what to do with Paul, who was under arrest and the Jews were wanting to kill, he spent some time with King Agrippa. While the retelling of this story follows Paul, you can be assured there was a great deal of things that these two men had to talk about.

But we read that “since they were spending many days there, Festus discussed Paul’s case with the king.” Because of the QUANTITY of time, Festus was able to bring up additional matters that were worrying him.

If they only had a small amount of time together, Paul may not have come up in conversation and been a priority. While Paul may have seemed a small matter to these commanding men, it is often the small issues that fester and grow much larger.

When we look to our relationships, let’s not forget to spend a quantity time, as well as quality time, together. No matter how long you have been together, time is still important to any relationship.

Prayer: Lord, one of the amazing things about following You is that You always have time for us. Thank You for being there when we need You. Help us to do the same for others. Amen.

Who do you need to spend more time with? 

Acts, quality, quantity, relationships, time